ABSTRACT
Self-help was the Victorial ideal. There were advantages in members of the working class insuring themselves against sickness, old age and temporary unemployment, both in fewer calls upon the poor law and, crucially, in fostering a spirit of thrift, independence and self-reliance perfectly in tune with the competitive ethic of the age. There were many avenues for self-help, most of them approved by government. There were burial and collecting societies, building societies, savings banks and a flourishing cooperative movement. The best known were friendly societies which offered a range of benefits against regular contributions (7a). Registration of friendly societies had begun in 1793, but the Victorian period saw significant developments aimed at protecting members’ funds against incompetent actuarial calculations, fraud or other loss. The Friendly Societies Act, 1855, extended the protection offered to members of registered societies and the work of John Tidd Pratt (1797–1870), the first registrar of friendly societies, was important in establishing securely founded organizations. In many places, particularly the north-west, friendly societies were active social centres as well as mutual protection agencies. By 1872 they had over i¼m members, and though they recruited far more skilled than unskilled workers, they had at least five times as many members as did trade unions at the same time.
